Access to Knowledge: Barriers and Solutions for Persons with Disabilities in India Contact person Nirmita Narasimhan Centre for Internet and Society

Background 70 Million persons in India cannot read standard print because of a physical, sensory or cognitive disability. Most of them live below the poverty line. Unavailability of materials in accessible formats has resulted in –social exclusion and non participation –inability to exercise the right to life, equality, right to information and expression. They are unable to benefit from society and society is unable to benefit from their creative talents.

Present Legal Framework India has ratified the UNCRPD and is obliged to ensure equal access to disabled persons to education, cultural materials, public information etc. Art 30(3) obliges countries to amend intellectual property laws to enable access. The Indian Copyright Act 1957 in its current form does not permit conversion. Proposed amendment unsatisfactory. Copyright is presently a huge hurdle in accessing resources because conversion and cross border exchange is not possible. Example Bookshare in USA

Present barriers to A2K Barely a handful of organisations are catering to the special needs of disabled persons. Approximately 100,000 books get published each year and only are available in accessible formats. Conversion is almost always undertaken by disability organisations, family and friends. No government funding to support conversion activities of disability organisations as in the case of USA and some other countries. Due to the lack of infrastructural resources for carrying on conversion, very limited books are available.

Present barriers to A2K Disability organisations do not have the bandwidth to chase publishers for permission for conversion of each and every book which gets published. Publishers have not started recognising the disability sector as a big market for accessible books. Mainstream schools refuse admission to disabled children due to lack of resources and skilled manpower. Mainstream resources are almost always never available in a timely fashion in accessible formats and there is a huge delay in getting materials resulting in the loss of academic years for students.

Present Barriers to A2K Very limited and selective access to knowledge resources. Inaccessible web sites make it impossible to read digital content which is available in the public domain. OERs are often not available in an accessible manner. Lack of collaborative effort on the part of educational institutions, libraries and publishers to make materials available.

Assistive Technology problems Assistive technology is not available in multiple Indian languages. In rural India, it is estimated that out of 368 million literate people, only 63 million know English, so unless software is available in Indian languages it cannot benefit disabled persons who do not know English. Commercially available software such as screen readers are highly expensive and unaffordable.

Overcoming Barriers Voluntary permissions for conversion Encourage use of alternative licensing models such as creative commons licenses Produce accessible versions commercially at affordable prices Make open resources accessible Promote development of open source assistive technologies

Overcoming Barriers Capacity build teachers and learning institutions Promote creation and sharing of digital resources On line/ distance educational resources should be made accessible. Educational institutions should have an inclusive policy

Conclusion Accessibility to be included as an integral part of every service or facility in order to promote sustaineable development. Retrofitting is inexpensive and not always possible. Accessible resources not only benefit the disabled, but others as well such as elderly learners, learners in remote areas, linguistic and cultural minorities, persons having limited bandwidth etc. Accessible digital content can be provided in multiple platforms. Accessibility, affordability and useability are key to facilitating access to knowledge for all.

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